


Happy Endings

by Aragarna



Category: White Collar
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Episode Tag, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-19
Updated: 2012-10-19
Packaged: 2018-05-31 08:06:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6462457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aragarna/pseuds/Aragarna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tag to episode 3x11. After the longest and scariest day of their life, Peter and El are finally reunited.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Happy Endings

They sat in the back seat of the car in silence. An agent was returning them to the Burkes’ house. Peter had naturally invited Neal to join him in the car, with a friendly nod and a small smile. However, Peter had crashed on the back seat and hadn’t spoken a single word. He seemed to have completely forgotten Neal. Head resting against the door of the car, he was obviously washed out. A bruise had formed on his cheekbone and a few others marked the knuckles of his hands. His eyes were looking at an invisible point outside the window. Lost in thought, Peter seemed about to fall to pieces.

_He took my wife._

Neal could still hear Peter’s voice reverberating in his head. Witnessing the despair of his friend, seeing the distress in his eyes, had shaken Neal to the core. Peter, usually so solid and calm, Peter, his rock, his safety net, had looked so upset, almost fragile, so un-Peter… Until that epic fight with Keller. Knowing that Elizabeth was safe, Peter became Peter again, to rescue Neal and give Keller the correction he deserved. Neal could see the anger, the rage, in each of Peter’s punches. Keller was paying for the hell he had put Peter through the whole day. Liberated from his fear for El’s safety, Peter put all his heart into that long-awaited confrontation.

But the fight seemed to have drained the last strength out of Peter, and he was now sitting quietly in the back of the car.

*oOo*

Peter was looking through the window, but he wasn’t seeing anything. His thoughts were rambling amidst the haunting images of the last day: Keller’s nasty words, Neal’s wary look when he arrived at Peter’s home the night before, the feeling of terror in the empty warehouse, and also, Neal and Mozzie’s attempts for comfort. But the one overwhelming feeling that kept coming back was the guilt that El was put in danger, that her life was placed in the hands of Keller. Peter hadn’t been able to prevent it.

This could have ended so terribly wrong.  He tried to blame Neal, then Mozzie, but the truth was, it didn’t help. He was the one responsible for El’s safety and he failed. El seemed all right on the phone, but was she really? All day Peter had tried to avoid thinking of what Keller would have done to her, and the knot in his stomach wouldn’t go away. A part of him was almost afraid to go home. But at the same time, he couldn’t wait to see her, make it up to her, comfort her, and hold her.

“Peter?” Neal asked tentatively. “Is Elizabeth alright? Did you talk to her?”

Peter startled and looked at Neal. “Yes, she is.” His voice was shaky. Peter swallowed. He tried to say something else but the words stayed trapped in his throat. Peter gave Neal a small smile and turned away. Closing his eyes, Peter took a few deep breaths.

“Yes, she is safe…” he whispered, the words slowly sinking in. Peter straightened up and looking back at Neal, he gave him a more convincing smile. 

When the car approached his Brooklyn home, Peter dashed out before it was parked. He took the stairs two steps at a time to the front door, rushing into the living room, oblivious to the gathered agents.

_Elizabeth_ _._

Peter felt the warmth suffuse through him as he made his way to El. Suddenly the stress, the fear, the exhaustion were gone. He forgot everything. All he could see was El, his treasure. He smiled at her as she turned her head to look at him, her hair dancing around her face. She was as beautiful as ever.

As she walked to him, he gave El that affectionate and heartfelt look he always had when looking at her. She glanced at his bruised cheek, his messy hair, and general torn look.

 “You okay?” She asked, with that so melodious voice that made Peter melt inside. Surely now, holding his dear Elizabeth in his arms, he was okay.

“Yeah” he answered, “you?”

El nodded, her eyes locked into Peter’s. Peter delicately held her head in his hands, his bruised fingers brushing her hair. Looking into her eyes, he could read that everything was finally okay. Elizabeth put her hands on Peter’s strong chest as he hugged her closer. She could feel his heart beating hard and fast, his heart beating for her. Peter kissed his wife softly on her hair, and closed his eyes. Savoring the moment, they both stood still, unaware of the rest of the world still spinning around them.

“Boss?”

Peter opened his eyes, finally letting go of Elizabeth to face Diana.

“We’re ready to go. Everything else can wait for tomorrow.”

“Keller?”

“Just got the call from Jones; he’s safely locked in our office cell.” Diana smiled. “We have everything under control. Don’t worry.”

Thankful, Peter nodded. “Thank you Diana. See you tomorrow, bright and early.”

“Sure thing, boss.”

 Peter glanced around, looking for something – someone. “Where’s Neal?”

“I think he left. He was here with Mozzie, but they both disappeared,” Diana answered, as she put on her coat.

Peter sighed. “Probably for the best. I’ll see him tomorrow too. Good bye, Diana. And thank you, for everything,” he added, placing his arm back around El’s waist.

Diana smiled at them. “Just doing my job and making sure my boss is happy, ‘cause I hate cranky bosses,” she said with a smirk. “Good bye, Elizabeth, Peter.”

Left alone, Peter and El stood where they were in the middle of the living room. Elizabeth looked back at Peter, examining him from head to toe.

“You look awful, hon.”

Peter grinned. “And you look gorgeous, as always, hon. You’ll have to tell me your secret….”

Elizabeth laughed. “Well, I took a shower, that helped.”

Peter frowned, mentally checking his condition. “You’re right; I really need a good shower. And I’d better go while I’m still standing on my feet.”

He kissed El on the cheek, caressed her hair one last time and headed upstairs.

*oOo*

After changing into a blue t-shirt, and a pair of jeans, Peter came downstairs. El was sat on the couch, absentmindedly patting Satchmo's head. Their dog had put his head on her lap while she seemed to be staring at an invisible point in front of her. Peter paused for a moment, watching his wife.

Elizabeth finally turned her head and gave him a questioning look.

“What is it, hon?”

Peter smiled. “Nothing. It’s just… I was reminding how lucky I am to be married to the most beautiful woman in the world.”

El stood up and closed the distance between them. To Peter, it felt as if they were opposite magnets, irresistibly attracted to each other. El put her arms around his waist and rested her head on his chest as Peter put his own arms around her.

“Well, I am pretty lucky myself, to be married to the world’s bravest FBI agent.”

A wonderful smell was coming from the kitchen, reminding Peter he hadn’t eaten anything since the day before.

“Something smells really good…”

“I figured you would have been too busy to eat anything.”

_Too worried to swallow anything_ , Peter thought, but he didn’t say it.

“Not only are you beautiful, but you’re smart too” he chuckled. “So, what did you cook for your brave husband, Mrs. Burke? Pizza?”

“I see you haven’t lost your detective flair, Agent Burke. Pizza it is, with extra bacon and cheese, right from the freezer to the oven. It should be ready in a minute.”

El made her way to the kitchen but turned around, surprised that Peter hadn’t followed. He was still at the exact same spot, between the staircase and the sofa, rubbing his face with his hands.

El’s laugh took him out of his torpor.

“Sorry hon, I’m coming,” Peter mumbled.

As El was taking the pizza out of the oven, Peter took two plates out of the cupboard, as well as two beers from the fridge. The perfect team work of their daily routine felt good. El put the pizza on the table and grabbed a knife to cut it in slices. Peter caught the slight shake of her hand.

“It’s okay hon, I got it,” he said softly as he took the knife, keeping his hand on hers for an instant.

El gave him an apologetic look. “Sorry, I’m just…”

“Exhausted?”

El smiled. “Yes,” she whispered, “exhausted…”

“Go sit on the couch; I’m bringing the plates.”

“Oh, are we allowed to eat on the sofa?” El quipped.

Peter gave her a warm smile and winked. “Yes, I think we do, today.”

El sat down and Peter brought the plates and beers, handing one of each to El. With a sigh of relief, he let himself fall onto the sofa just besides his wife; Satchmo resting at their feet. Peter lifted his feet to put them on the coffee table, put his plate on his lap and leaned back. El curled against his shoulder and Peter put his arm around her.

They ate in silent for a while. Finally, El put her plate on the table and turned around to face Peter. Her serious expression made Peter stop chewing.

“Peter….” El began.

Peter felt a knot in his stomach. “What is it?”

“Keller said… So Neal really had the treasure?”

Peter swallowed and put his pizza slice on the plate. He sighed, looking away.

“Yes, he had the treasure.”

“I’m sorry honey,” El whispered, putting her hand on his arm.

“In his defense, he didn’t steal it, he was honest about that. And he was ready to give it all away without hesitation, when he heard you’d been… That Keller wanted that treasure. Neal didn’t - none of us meant… We didn’t see that coming.”

“But who stole the treasure, then?”

Peter suddenly looked back at her, and locked his eyes in hers. “It was Mozzie.”

“Mozzie?”

El’s eyes widened and Peter could read disappointment in her look. He bit his lip. He shouldn’t have said it like that. He shouldn’t have said it at all. Not just now.

“I’m sorry, El.” he said softly, squeezing her closer. “They never meant to hurt you.”

“I know, hon. I know.” Cheering up, El pat Peter’s knee. “And it all ended well; I wasn’t hurt.” Delicately touching Peter’s bruised cheek, she added “Can’t say the same about you… What happened?”

Peter shrugged. “After you called, I went to look for Neal. When I found him, Keller was beating the hell out of him. I jumped Keller and gave him what he deserved, at last. It felt good.”

El laughed. “My hero, rescuing his wife, his friend, fighting villains… So you won the fight?”

“Well, I would have…” Peter beamed. “But Neal shot Keller.”

“Neal? He used a gun?”

“Yes, he shot him in the thigh, right between my legs. That was a hell of a shot! I’ll have to ask him where he learned to shoot like that.”

“So what will you do about Neal?”

Peter looked at El. He knew what she meant. He took a moment before he answered.

“I felt betrayed. That hurts. And I was worried about you. I almost lost it with Neal; I was really angry. I might have said some bad things. You know, I’ve suspected him all along and my gut told me he was hiding something from me. But a part of me was so hoping I was wrong… And hearing it from Keller… But the truth is, I was also glad Neal was there today. He didn’t flinch. He was there for me, for us. And I… I don’t know how I would have done without him.”

Peter heaved a sigh, and remained quiet, lost in his own thoughts. His jaw muscles tightened under his skin as he gritted his teeth.

“I’m sorry, hon. We don’t have to talk about it right now.”

Peter shook his head. “No, it’s fine. It’s just … Neal told me…” Peter’s voice trailed off. _Why not?_ He swallowed hard and took a deep breath before he continued. “The treasure was gone. They had a fight, and Mozzie had taken it. Neal told me he didn’t want to leave. He wanted to stay in New York. For me.”

“For you?”

“Me, us, Sara, everything… ‘I have a life here’ he said.”

“Oh. Wow.”

A small smile appeared on Peter’s face. “Yeah, wow.” His eyes were shiny.

El put both her arms around him. “Hon, that’s great! I’m happy for you.”

Peter cleared his throat. “The betrayal still hurts.”

“I know.”

“What are you gonna do now?” El asked.

“About Neal? I don’t know. I’m not really sure what I _can_ do. The FBI doesn’t have anything concrete to tie him to the treasure, but I doubt Keller will go down without a fight…”

Suddenly, Satchmo sat up. Putting his head on Peter’s lap his gaze went from Peter to the plate with his unfinished pizza. Peter torn the portion in two, gave one to Satchmo, and swallowed the other one.

At the sight of her courageous dog, El beamed. “My other hero! He sure fought Keller’s thug – Grant.”

Peter patted the dog’s head. “And he helped us a lot on the investigation.  That was a great clue, El.”

“We make a good team.” El agreed. Peter chuckled. “Yes, we do.”

“And you have really wonderful agents on your team, Peter.”

“Diana and Jones were at the top of their game today and really supportive. I’m lucky to be surrounded by so many smart people. You know that they found you because of cherry blossom pollen?”

El nodded. “Yes, Diana told me. We chatted a bit while you were rescuing Neal. She has a lot of respect for you, Peter. She is a true loyal friend, not to mention a great shooter. She got that idiot right in the shoulder.”

Peter frowned. “There was a fight?”

El looked embarrassed. “Well I escaped through the window but –“

“You escaped?!” Peter was stunned.

El shrugged. “Well, only to fall back into that thug’s arms. Not sure it really counts.”

“Wow, still you tried to escape, my little daredevil,” Peter said with admiration. “That takes some nerve. So, tell me.”

El smiled as she related the events of her  escape.

“You tried to con him!” Peter laughed, incredulous. “And using your ring… That was smart.”

“Yes, it’s a good think it was a real diamond! It would have ended badly if it wasn ‘t!,” El teased.

Peter smirked but was unable to hide his exhaustion any longer. He let go a noisy yawn.

“Am I boring you, hon?” El asked in a mocking tone, “Just another day for the FBI, huh?”

Peter gave her a tired smile, trying to hold back another yawn. “No, El, sorry, I’m just… tired.”

Elizabeth smiled back. “Yes, me too. Let’s go to bed, we’ll have all the time to chat about our adventures tomorrow. And we need to take Satch out for a walk.”

“Oh right… Okay, I’m taking him out for a very quick walk. Come on Satch!”

They slowly rose from the couch. Peter made his way to the door, grabbing the leash from the hook.

As he was about to reach the door, El caught him and took his hand, pressing it tightly. Peter turned around and was surprised to see the apprehension suddenly visible in her eyes. Seeing her like that, so uncharacteristically fragile, was excruciating to Peter. He felt the guilt squeezing his heart. And though he did his best to hide it, El caught the concern shading his gaze.

She tried a brave smile, unsuccessfully. “Peter, I… I know this is silly but… I don’t want to stay alone in the house. I know it is perfectly safe. It’s just… Let me come with you.”

Ignoring the impatient Satchmo, turning in circles on the threshold, Peter put both arms around El’s waist and drew her close, holding her inside his embrace. He could feel her body faintly shivering. He waited for the tension to go away and held her tight until he felt El relax.

“This is not silly at all, hon,” he whispered, “this is perfectly normal. It’ll pass. We’ll get through this together.”

He kissed her affectionately on the forehead and finally released her. El opened her mouth but Peter gently cut her off. “And don’t say you’re sorry,” he said in a roguish grin.

El smiled back and kissed him.

Turning his attention to the dog, Peter attached his leash, grabbed a plastic bag and opened the door. Then he offered his arm to El.

El’s grip was tighter than usual. He couldn’t help but glance furtive looks at her. Checking how she was, or simply checking she was there. He had to feel she was there with him. And she probably felt the exact same thing, judging by her grip. He wished he could make it better for her, telling her that everything was alright now, and that she didn’t have to worry anymore. But he knew it wasn’t that simple. It would take time.

White Collar crimes rarely involved physical assault or kidnappings, and when, on very rare occasions, it occurred, Peter hated it. He would always felt so bad for the victim, helpless. Always a bit guilty too, not to have caught the criminal sooner, before it went bad. Yet, the victims were strangers to him. This time it was Elizabeth and it was completely different. Or just a million time worse.

*oOo*

They walked in silence around the block up to the small park nearby. El was squeezing Peter’s arm. It was as if she needed to feel him physically, to convince herself he was here. If Peter was with her, she was safe. She knew it was foolish and she didn’t like feeling weak. Elizabeth had always prided herself on being a strong fearless woman. But the events of the last 24 hours had shaken her to the core. Keller was a nasty and vicious creature. She had hoped he would be smart enough to know that it wasn’t in his best interest to seriously harm her, but she had also known that things could have gone south anytime, and if it had, Keller would not have hesitated to get rid of her.

_Shoot her in the foot if she tries anything._ El shivered.

Hearing that Neal had the treasure had made her feel sick, and for a minute she had been deeply angry at Neal for betraying their trust in him. Above all, betraying the faith her husband had put in his young friend. She had done her best not to show any of her internal turmoil to her kidnapper though. She wouldn’t give him the pleasure of seeing how afraid she was. She had kept faith in Peter, she always had. She knew how deeply he loved her and even before the phone call, she had known that the news of her kidnapping would be devastating. But she also knew Peter was a man of action, and a man who protected his own. He would move Heaven and Earth to rescue her and he had.

The soft sound of Peter’s deep voice called her back to the present.

“Do you want us to take a few days off? Go visit your parents or go to the coast somewhere? Take a break from all of this?”

“The last thing I want right now is having to deal with hysterical parents. Mum will cuddle me to death and Dad will analyze every single gesture and word to assess how traumatized I am… Don’t worry Peter, I’m perfectly fine,” she added. But her tone, harsher than necessary, was saying otherwise.

As they stopped, at Satchmo’s request, Peter delicately freed his arm from her grip and put it around her shoulders, tugging her closer.

 “Okay then, no parents. Just the two of us.”

El nodded. Sliding her arm around Peter’s waist, she rested her head on his shoulder.  She had the impression she was about to fall apart, right where she was. Despite her tenacity, she wasn’t strong. And she knew Peter had felt it. He could read her like an open book. And Peter, the man who never felt comfortable around women, was giving her the exact right dose of comfort she needed. Not too obvious nor overwhelming, but close enough; finding the right words without the endless platitudes. Simply making her feel he was here for her. El had also noted his efforts not to show his own worries – not exactly successful, but all the more cute.

“Yes, the coast somewhere, that would be great.”

“Good,” Peter said as he bent over to grab Satchmo’s gift with the plastic bag. “I’ll call the office tomorrow, tell them I’m taking the rest of the week off.”

El raised her eyebrows. “But, honey, don’t you have to go and close the case tomorrow?”

Peter took El’s hand in his and looked her in the eyes. “The case can wait. Someone else can close it for me. You’re more important to me than anything else, El. If you want to go tomorrow, we will go tomorrow.”

“It can wait for the weekend. It will be something to look forward to and making the arrangements for it will keep me busy. I think I’ll take a day or two off, and take care of that.”

“Perfect, a romantic weekend, just the two of us. It sounds great. Now let’s go to bed or I’ll just lay on that bench over there to sleep.”

Arm in arm, heads tilted toward each other’s, Peter and El made their way back to their home.

Once back inside, Peter released Satchmo and El and he went to the bedroom together, at last. Sitting heavily on the bed, Peter took off his pants and t-shirt, threw them on the chair, and burrowed under the blanket. After a quick stop by the bathroom, El joined her already half-asleep husband and she curled herself against him. Peter put his arm around El’s waist. She could feel the warmth from his body, hear the slow-paced rhythm of his breath as he drifted off, and there, safe under Peter’s arm, El fell asleep.

*oOo*

Peter woke up with a jolt, disoriented and gasping for air. His heart was pounding and he couldn’t get rid of that feeling of terror pursuing him from his nightmare into reality. Eyes wide open, he took an account of his surroundings. He was in his bedroom. El was at his side in the bed. He could feel her body against him. It was dark outside, and the moon was casting a soft ray of light through the window. The scenery was beautiful, peaceful. But all Peter could see was the vivid picture of Keller’s face. _I’ll get her again, and again, and again._ Taking deep breaths, Peter tried to calm down as tears were slowly rolling down his cheeks.

Staring at the ceiling, Peter wasn’t sure if it was better to try to get back to sleep or stay awake. It seemed that in both cases, he couldn’t help reliving the whole day.

 “Peter?” El’s voice sounded worried. The last thing Peter wanted to do was to worry Elizabeth.

“Sorry, hon, didn’t mean to wake you. Just a bad dream,” he said as he brushed his tear away. His voice wasn’t as steady as he had hoped.

El turned around in the bed to face him. Her hand caressed his cheek. Her touch was delicate, comforting.

“I can’t sleep either,” she admitted.

Peter felt the knot of guilt coming back.

Unable to look at his wife, he continued to stare at the ceiling. His voice was a whisper. “I’m sorry El. I am so sorry…”

“Eh, it’s not your fault.”

“Yes it is! I’m supposed to protect you and I failed. I was careless and you were put in danger and you could’ve –“ Peter was stopped in his tracks, unable to say the unbearable.

“But I didn’t,” El countered, reading his mind. “Peter, look at me. I’m safe and sound. And that is thanks to you. I was in danger and you did what you had to rescue me. That’s all that matters. We can’t always prevent bad things to happen, but we can fix them and we did.”

Peter came closer to El. He put his arm around her waist and kissed her.

“You’re good to me, you know.”

El smiled. “I know.”

Peter took a deep breath. “El tell me, I need to know. Did they… Did they hurt you?” Almost afraid of the answer, he held his breath for a second.

“No Peter, they didn’t hurt me. I did everything you told me, cooperated, no resistance, no eye contact. Everything all by the book – almost…” she added, with a sparkle in her eyes. “But really Peter, they treated me well, or as well as could be expected. They gave me water and food. Keller did say a few nasty things, but that’s all.”

“Were you scared?”

El curled herself deeper into Peter’s hold. “Yes I was. Petrified inside. I was afraid something terrible would happen. Or that Keller would forget to call….  But mostly I was frightened by Keller. I know what he is capable of and... But the other guy, Grant, he was just a moron.”

Peter couldn’t help laugh at that unusual word in El’s mouth. “It seems Keller likes being the smartest guy in the room.”

“Not very smart to hire stupid men to hold your hostage, if you ask me…”

“Not very smart to kidnap the clever Mrs. Burke, if you ask me,” Peter grinned.

“Especially if she’s married to the brave Agent Burke…”

Peter gave El a smile, but remained silent. The moon’s rays of light were softly illuminating the room, casting a light on El’s face, playing in the curls of her hairs. She was beautiful.

_How about you go home and relax with a bottle of your favorite beer..._ “I was scared too,” Peter finally confessed. “I’ve never been so scared – terrified – in my entire life. I couldn’t even bear just the thought that I could lose you.”

Elizabeth reached his lips and kissed him. Peter drew her to him.

“Nothing like a little kidnapping to remind you how much you love your wife?” El smirked.

Peter smiled. “Something like that.”

They made love tenderly, breathing in the joy of being together again, as if it had been an eternity apart.

*oOo*

Later that night, Peter was lying on his back, El’s head was resting on his shoulder. She was curled against his side, her hand on his chest. They remained that way for a while, silent and simply breathing in each other’s presence.

 “I love you hon.” Peter said softly. El could feel he was finally at peace. His heart beat was slow and steady. His breath was calm. Wait … too calm? El raised her head to look at her husband. Peter had fallen asleep. El smiled.

“Love you too, hon,” she whispered. She gently kissed him on the cheek before curling back under Peter’s arm and joining him in Morpheus’ peaceful world.

When El woke up from a deep and refreshing dreamless sleep, most of the fear from the previous day was gone. A little knot was still there, inside her chest, but nothing she wouldn’t overcome. It felt like a vivid nightmare. Or a bad memory. Yes, it was just a bad memory now. She opened her eyes and slowly turned her head to look at Peter. She found herself facing a pair of brown eyes fondly watching over her.

“Good morning sunshine,” Peter whispered.

“Good morning…” El answered, “How long have you been watching me sleep?”

Peter made a falsely apologetic pout. “I don’t know.”

El smiled back, watching her husband. The bruise on his cheekbone had an awful shade of dark blue, but his soft smile that has always made her melt inside was illuminating his face.

They remained still, enjoying this intimate moment of regained peacefulness.

Finally Peter spoke. “I have to get up. I need to go to the office. I – it’s probably better if I’m there to deal with Neal.”

“What do you plan to do?”

Peter sat up, hands on his lap. He shook his head. “I don’t know. Well, first, I think we need to seriously talk. I hope to keep him out of prison. Maybe stress his efficient help in catching Keller to the higher-ups? I don’t know if it’ll be enough…”

Peter heaved a heavy sigh and pushing the cover away, he got up and went to the bathroom to get ready for work. He was obviously truly concerned for his friend. At the very least, it proved that Peter’s feelings for Neal were still strong. There was hope that they would get past all this. Happy of that thought, El tugged herself under the cover, deciding to enjoy a little lying-in.

When she finally got up and went downstairs in her robe, Peter was seated at the kitchen island, pensively drinking his coffee. At her sight, his gaze lit up.

“Hey sleeping beauty, do you want eggs? I made some. There’s bacon too and I can add some toast.”

El came around the table to kiss him. “Awesome, I’m starving!”

Peter got up to prepare a plate for El, as she took the coffee pot and poured the drink into a cup he had put on the table for her. She sat as Peter put a hearty breakfast in front of her. She had to admit, she liked to be pampered by her husband.

“So, hon, any preference where to go this weekend?”

“Nope, I leave it up to you. Anywhere will be perfect as long as it’s only you, Satch, and me.”

Finally, Peter got up and put his bowl and plate in the sink. El could see his face had switched into agent mode. He looked focused and resolute. Still, he seemed reluctant to leave.

“You’ll be alright?” he asked as he took her in his arm to kiss her good bye.

“Yes, Peter, I’m fine,” she said reassuringly. “Don’t worry. And Peter, please,” she added with a smile, foreseeing his thought, “don’t call me every hour. I swear, I’ll be fine.”

Peter laughed. “Okay… I’ll try to restrain myself. But don’t hesitate to call if you need anything. I’ll come home early. Can’t promise lunch, but early afternoon.”

“Perfect. Now go and don’t be too hard on Neal,” she said softly, “he probably feels bad enough as it is.”

Peter groaned. “Hmm… I hope so. Love you, hon” he said as he kissed El one last time.

“Love you too, hon.” She answered with a smile.

Peter finally left, but not without one last look and smile at El who was watching him from the door.

One hour later as El, all fresh and ready to face the day was finishing the dishes, her phone buzzed. El laughed. It was a text from Peter.

_Hi Hon! You didn’t say anything about texting ;-) Just thinking about you. Xoxo_

\---------------------------------------

The (Happy) End. :-)  



End file.
